Cofty,
I already said I agree Edward VIII was probably a Nazi.
Well, no, actually he wasn't. Selfish? Yes. A playboy? Yes. Irresponsible? Yes. Not all that bright? Yes. Victim of a greedy, predatory woman? I can hear the howls of derision coming, but yes, probably he was.
But a Nazi?
Here is the definition of a Nazi from the thefreedictionary.com.
"A member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, founded in Germany in 1919 and brought to power in 1933 under Adolf Hitler."
Come on, he wasn't that, was he?
There's a great danger in online forum discussions such as this of getting carried away with exaggerations and simplistic arguments. You and Cedars are absolutely right, Cofty, and I know we all think alike on this. Edward VIII was a disaster as a king. Probably, his abdication was the best thing that could have happened to the monarchy and to Britain at that time in those circumstances.
The monarchy is an integral part of the British constituion, the only unwritten Constitution, as far as I know, in the world, and yet a constituion that has evolved over a very long time. Although to the world's media it is mere soap, and open to all manner of discussion and argument and fashion columnists and just about anything else imaginable, it is absolutely the force for stability that keeps Britain, with all its faults and inadequacies, the pleasant and safe place to live that it is.
When it is stated as fact that the Royal family wanted rid of Diana, I cringe and also get angry. Do people on this forum know such things as fact because they themselves were party to the intimate conversations of those involved? of course not!
It never ceases to amaze me how intelligent people, who think critically and wisely about power-hungry and oppressive religious movements, will cite as indisputable fact what is actually gossip created by the media. Even people who don't live here.
The Queen and her family have touched very many individual lives here, often in many ways. They are human beings, with many faults, just like each one of us. They are human beings with a job to do, and for the most part, allowing for each individual's age and experience, they do their job with a remarkable dedication and sense of duty.
Of course there are dissenting voices in this country and overseas. This is a democracy. Expressing an opinion is free. But don't express your own personal opinions as fact and don't base your opinions on cheap media gossip, created and fanned just to bring in money.
Most people here love both Queen and country and are fiercely loyal to both. That loyalty will extend to her successors. Oh! And for those who love to knock Charles and assume that everyone agrees with them, no, by and large, despite constant efforts by media-fed gainsayers, over here they don't. Yes, some do. But most are very much aware that Charles is actually a very idealistic and decent chap, who does an enormous amount of good and will eventually make a good king. Camilla, too, is all right. Yes, they both made mistakes in the past. They're not making them now. Give them a chance.
So, in answer to the thread title, no, it is not time to get rid of the monarchy.
